Rating: 
Summary: 8.4 has moments, but for this reviewer it's more like a 3.5
Review: I'd never heard of author Peter Hernon, but when I saw the subject matter of "8.4", and that it was on the clearance shelf for practically pennies, I gave the book a try. And, while I can't say that this is one of the top 500 books that I've read, it passes the mark. As one would guess from the title, this is a story about earthquakes. It particular, the "Mother of All Earthquakes" that being the one that seismologists have been predicting for years, the quake along the New Madrid Fault. I've been somewhat interested in this topic for some time now since I live in an area that might be affected by such a quake. And as people in this area know, the New Madrid Quake may be even more devastating that the San Francisco and Alaskan quakes that created such widespread damage in the last 100 years. And, if you too live along this faultline, you may not want to read this book because if Hernon is right about "the big one" you might choose to find a new address. Hernon has done a good job for the most part with his research and in some cases, the book reads like something out of Michael Crichton. Seriously limited though, is Hernon's character development and any "connection" that the reader might have with these characters. They're just not very interesting. I don't know if that flaw is by design or not, because the real star of the story, of course, is the quake or quakes. The book has suspenseful moments and even includes a little sabotage and deceit along the way. It's a very quick read and good for passing the time. In reality, though, this book will probably have only limited appeal to those readers who don't live in this area. For better books about the New Madrid faultline and the coming quake, I'd suggest "The Rift" by Walter Williams and "The New Madrid Run" by Michael Reisig (a superior, yet too short book, from an outstanding storyteller).
Rating:
Summary: Good beach book
Review: If you know very much about earthquake science and the New Madrid Fault Zone you will be disappointed at the apparently sloppy research in this book. Others have commented on the flatness of the characters - and I agree - BUT I also enjoyed reading the book. Hernon is a good writer and the book is good escapist entertainment. Whether exploding a bomb could really stop a major quake is still questionable but this book handles the premise so much better than the awful mini-series "10.5" "The Rift" and "New Madrid Run" are better books but if you've already read them, this is worth buying for the beach.
Rating:
Summary: Good beach book
Review: If you know very much about earthquake science and the New Madrid Fault Zone you will be disappointed at the apparently sloppy research in this book. Others have commented on the flatness of the characters - and I agree - BUT I also enjoyed reading the book. Hernon is a good writer and the book is good escapist entertainment. Whether exploding a bomb could really stop a major quake is still questionable but this book handles the premise so much better than the awful mini-series "10.5" "The Rift" and "New Madrid Run" are better books but if you've already read them, this is worth buying for the beach.
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